Proverbs 13:16 Commentary and Bible Study

A prudent man has no reason to hide his knowledge from view, but a fool has good reason to be ashamed of his folly, and yet, says Solomon, it is as if the fool seems quite prepared to come out into the open and tell everyone he is a fool. The fool flaunts his folly, but of course he does not intend to do so. His aim is to hide any folly he is aware of, and to present himself to the world as shrewd, skilful, and well able to cope with whatever life throws at him, but his folly comes into view whether he likes it or not, so that it is inevitable that a fool exhibits folly. Even in his attempts to hide it he shows that he does not really understand himself. He does not know that he has a fallen nature and so thinks that folly is something he can disguise by making a few adjustments to his external behaviour, when all the time it comes from his heart. He might make a show of humility by adopting language that is very self-demeaning, but he gives the game away by making sure that he draws attention to this imagined virtue. He does not really know the difference between folly and wisdom. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to show us what we really are and to make us ready to confess our folly to the Lord. God alone is able to give us that knowledge which ought to be the foundation of all we do, and which we consult before every decision. It is knowledge which is not found in the world, but which comes from heaven.